Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Lives On
by Andrea DelaSangre
Summary: This is a take on what might follow the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Telacontar, a friend, wrote this with me a while ago. Please read and review we'll return the favor.
1. Chapter 1

**Andy**

"Don't think you are faster. _Know_ you are." Will instructed carefully, watching his young, eager student with a careful eye.

The small boy followed his master's instructions and made a swifter movement…one fast enough to block a clout or disable a man, when necessary. He'd been given in-home lessons by Will Turner for the last two months, and already his swordsmanship had greatly improved.

"Sir, there's a messenger for you waiting in the library." A maid interrupted the session.

"Who's the message from?"

"I asked them that myself, but all they would say was 'really bad eggs'. Do you know what that means?" She inquired, puzzlement upon her pale face, whipping away a strand of chestnut hair which had fallen across her face.

Will did. He'd been trying to rid the ordeal of The Black Pearl from his mind for three years, yet still it persisted. "Yes." Then he mindlessly added "Only too well."

"What was that sir?" The confused maid inquired.

"Nothing. Never mind it." Will rushed, passing the woman to reach the exquisite library. He somewhat envied his student and the boy's family. There house was one of the finest in the town, and was magnificent in every sense.

He then dismissed his student for the day, turning his head and promising to continue the next. But he would not carry on the following day… or the one after that, as he wasn't yet aware.

At first glance, Will could have sworn that he saw Jack, the pirate he knew three years earlier, waiting in the library, head tipped so that his face was in shadow. "What are you doing here, Jack? Can you even conceive of what would happen if you were seen here?"

"If I were seen, it would be of no matter, for I, as you may have hypothesized by my voice, am not Jack." I replied, raising my head.

Indeed, as soon as my head was raised and unveiled by shadows, I looked nothing like Captain Jack Sparrow, with the exceptions of my hair, apparel, and approximate height.

"Of course not, I see now…" He paused, stunned at the initial resemblance between myself and the Captain. "Please accept my apologies."

With nothing more than a nod of my head, I did as he asked before delivering the message. "The Black Pearl's crew sends me with this one request of you. 'Come.'"

"Come?"

"Yes, 'Come'. That is all I've been sent with."

It took a while for things to register in Will's mind. At first, he thought 'come where?' Then he realized the true meaning. He was being asked to return to The Black Pearl. "Do you know how long for, or why?"

"Indefinitely, and yes, but I am required not to answer any questions-"

The man interrupted me. "You just did."

"-of particular nature." I finished.

"Do you know Jack Sparrow?"

"That is called 'changing the subject', and what did I just say about questions?"

Will came across the room so that he was directly in front of me and his dark eyes were locked onto mine. "Just answer me. Do you know Jack Sparrow?"

I took a small step forward and looked up at him, keeping eye contact. "I had better; he_ is_ my brother…and he prefers 'Captain' Jack Sparrow."

"What?" My words had quite obviously been unexpected ones to him.

"Are you looking for me to repeat the 'brother' part, or the 'Captain' part?" I did not have the time to repeat myself, and was growing impatient.

He retorted, "I heard all you said; it's just…" Will Turner's speech trailed off to nothing. He really was a man of few words, as my brother had described.

"Didn't you know? Or has Jack failed to mention the small detail that he has a sister, as usual?"

He smiled slightly and shook his head. "It never came up, no."

Sometimes I grow disillusioned with my brother for neglecting to tell anyone that I exist. But at the moment, I had worse situations to deal with. "We must leave immediately. That is… if you shall join me to The Pearl."

I could tell that it was a difficult choice for him to make, but in the end, his decision was one I'd expected…. "I shall, on one condition."

"Name it." I cocked my head thoughtfully. Only after I spoke the words did I realize what I might have gotten my brother and his crew into. His request could be anything.

Noting my sudden questioning of my response, the blacksmith spoke quickly. "I stay no longer than needed. As soon as I've listened to Jack and his crew I can go." His words were peculiarly hastened.

I relaxed a bit. "Of course. You may leave whenever you choose…or not come at all."

"Thank you." He paused as if considering something. "Could we go to my house so that I might pack some things before leaving?"

"If you like, but it would cost time, and we are short on that as it is."

"What do you mean?"

So he hadn't heard…

I said "Nothing." I lied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Andy**

Nearly an hour later, Will and I were on our way to the berth, um…shopping for a ship.

We found one. It wasn't the fastest or the newest, but it was the smallest, which meant it would be harder to find when missed. The ship was named The Falcon so, of course, its figurehead was a falcon with its wings outspread. It seemed to soar across the water as we set course and began our journey southwest toward Tortugas where I'd arranged for us to meet Jack and then move to The Pearl.

Finally, after a journey that seemed to last a lifetime, we arrived at our destination.

I led Will through the town, where he'd been no more than once before, until we reached the tavern…the obvious place to meet a pirate. We got inside and my eyes immediately searched for my brother. Though I could not see him immediately, something told me that he was infuriated. It could be because I've always had a way of knowing his feelings, but perhaps it was because he was passing the bar chasing after Hookman, a new crewmember, yelling "You did what?" at the top of his lungs.

Without delay, I made my way through the crowd and got myself between the two men before Jack could throw a punch that would surely land Hookman in a state of unconsciousness.

This action of mine didn't go over very well with my brother though, seeing as he almost threw me aside attempting to grab hold of Hookman.

"Jack!" I was ignored. That was when I grabbed him by the coat collar and made him look at me. As long as he didn't look at Hookman, he was all right. "What happened?"

He'd been drinking—I could tell that much. How much and for how long are not for me to say, but he stank of hard liquor. I could smell it as he responded, giving me an explanation. "He _lost_ The Pearl." He got to the direct point, aiming a finger at Hookman, faster than I'd expected.

"What?"

"'He lost 'er, tha's all." He re-explained, gesturing mindlessly. 'That's all' was an extreme understatement. Anger brewed in Jack's voice as he spat out the words.

"How?"

"The bloomin' idiot bet it in a card game when the other man…" He pointed. "Right there had a royal flush." He seemed to have calmed down a bit, but I couldn't risk releasing him yet. "You can let go now." He seemed to read my mind, and leaned in so that I could feel his hot breath on my face and neck when he made up my mind for me. I let my hands drop from his jacket to my sides.

Jack looked unsure for a moment, and then leaned forward again to whisper in my ear. "Can I kill him now?"

"Jack…"

"Please?"

I heavily sighed. I couldn't deny him the right to kill his betrayer, but then he was drunk; I didn't know how well he'd be able to aim. Eventually, though, I had to agree.

"Go ahead."

"Thanks mate." While nodding absently, he commended me. With one swift movement, his sword was in the stomach of the former Hookman. His drunken state had not allowed him to be perfectly accurate, so I was lightly scratched on one side in result of his blade's short passage.

Only then did Jack notice Will standing by the entrance. Lifting a mug of rum, he greeted. "Welcome to the Caribbean, mate…" And then he added, "again," with his head shaking slowly from side to side as if he was either very confused or very disbelieving about something. And perhaps he was.

With that he took a large swallow and slammed the glass onto the bar before buying another pint, which he offered to me. I accepted, but insisted that we all left as soon as I was finished. His initial response was. "I'll drink to tha'!" as he straightened, lifted his mug, and raised a finger from the free hand in the air to catch the bartender's attention.

Meanwhile, Will, seemingly the only one of the two that appeared to have noticed my injury, made his own path through the crowd until he reached my side. "Are you all right?" He anxiously questioned, pulling a handkerchief from one pocket to hold on the wound. I realized that he only wished to be helpful and stop the bleeding, but I considered his reaction to my wound unnecessary …as well as somewhat useless, since I had naught but a scratch. Why was he so worried?

"Yes; I'm fine." With that being said, I took his hand in mine and moved it from the wound.

He looked up, searching my eyes. "Of course you are…sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Andy**

I finally got Jack out of the tavern and onto the berth where The Pearl had been bound. Of course, we arrived late: too late. The Black Pearl had set course and was leaving the shores, its sails black clouds in the darkening sky.

"That bloody bastard!" My brother yelled, seeing his ship slowly becoming smaller in the night.

"Jack! Don't worry; we'll get 'er back."

"Why is The Pearl gone?" He questioned, knowing well the answer.

Will was at his other side and stepped back as he was almost hit in the head by a strenuous motion made by Jack's left hand. He seemed weary, and it appeared time to construct some sort of plan. I had some clue to what Jack had in mind, but left it being unsaid 'til the opportune moment…or at least until the time when Jack could say it himself; I was waiting for my brother to become remotely sober before we discussed anything of such delicacy as to what we were going to do.

I'd waited three hours, which was, for me, too long a wait. Jack was finally clear-headed enough to speak with sense enough to make sense…if that, in its own turn makes any sense at all.

So, back to the direct point. Jack and Will were sitting on the pier talking, Jack swinging his legs over the edge and looking down at the water.

"We've got to devise a plan of some sort, or else we're getting nowhere. I mean, we have got to get a boat—I mean ship—so we at least have some cover." Will was saying. He was right, too. We had to come up with something.

Jack seemed not to be listening at first, but then looked suddenly up as if struck be a bolt of lightning. "D'ya think the _temporary _captain o' The Pearl would trade 'er for whatever we steal… seeing as we get something fine?"

"No. Never." I intersected in the conversation uninvited. "Not unless he's the brainless son of a pig we all _hope_ he is."

"What're the chances of that?" Jack asked after an awkward pause, swaying, and turning to recognize me.

I considered a moment, but then realized the truth. "One in a million, if we're lucky."

Dusk had fallen, and by the time anyone had come up with an idea, the others were already asleep, Jack was the first to fall asleep, then Will. I shook my head at the two of them as the dark night began to take me over and my lids slowly weighted. I especially was humored by Jack who'd began using Will's shoulder as a pillow and would mutter the occasional 'and really bad eggs' or 'but why is the rum gone?' Once or twice, in his dreary state of sleep and crazed, random questionings of the dark, I heard my brother ask the night 'why is The Pearl gone?' which was usually followed by 'where's The Pearl?'


	4. Chapter 4

**Andy**

I had hardly slept at all in the gloom of night. Jack and Will still lay sprawled and sleeping on the dock a few feet away. The silence was broken only by the loudness of Jack's abhorrent snoring.

He seemed to be having a nightmare as he tossed and turned, flinging his arms through the air and fighting off invisible enemies. In his struggles, Jack rolled himself off the berth and plunged into the cool water.

**Jack**

With a resounding splash, I plummeted to the water's depths, still running mindlessly from the British soldiers, until I realized I was underwater and drownin' meself. I struggled underwater for a moment to turn around from my upside-down position and swim to the surface.

I burst through, to the rising sunlight and looked up at the berth, only to see Will and my sister, Andy, laughin' at me. I shook a wet strand of hair from my face only to have it swing around and smack me directly in the nose.

"Ouch! Bloody thing!" I flailed a little and caused myself to sink below the water again.

Once again, I swam upwards and hauled my wet self onto the pier, tryin' to keep my balance, despite the fact that my boots were slick with water. After learning how to balance on wet boots, I stood to face my smiling sister.

"'Morning sunshine…" Andy mocked.

"Oh, cut tha' out! I was havin' a perfectly nice mornin' before you said that!" I said as I stumbled backwards and landed on top of Will.

"Careful, Jack. You don't want to end up in the water again." She laughed.

"I'll have you know," I clambered off Will as he wrung out his newly soaked shirt, "I was out for a mornin' swim, and tha's all."

Will complained "Next time you go out for a swim, please try not to use me to dry yourself."

I turned to look at him and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, mate."

Andy suggested that we 'borrow without permission', as I put it, a ship to commandeer to find the 'Captain' of The Black Pearl. Will and I agreed and without further delay we were off, down the beach to find a ship to 'borrow'. I had suggested The Dauntless, since it had been so easy to Captain the last time I 'borrowed' it. Maybe Commodore Norrington would be kind enough to 'loan' it to us, for say, a year?

"The Dauntless? Here?" Will asked.

"Yes, here!" It seems as though a few British officers wanted a bit of a drink." I said. "They have the right idea." I added, after taking a quick look around.

Will looked around. "Well, we may have a ship, but what's happened to the crew? Where are Anna-Maria, Mr. Gibbs, and Mr. Cotton? I mean, where is everyone? Do you honestly plan to sail without them?" He inquired. It was obvious he wasn't too taken by the idea.

The massive form of The Dauntless rose and fell on the swells of the bay, tied to the dock like a tethered wild animal struggling to free itself. I turned from Will to its great height and, in reply, said, "Will, you and I are not quitters. We made it from Port Royal to Tortugas easily enough on our lonesome. Now we have Andy here with us as well. C'mon, if the two of us (meaning him and me) could go a certain distance alone, the three of us (meaning him, me, and me sister Andrea) can…well…we can make it!

With an agreement made, the three of us crouched low and darted behind boxes and barrels, making our way towards the ship. As we stared at the dock, no British soldiers in red uniforms guarded its gangplank. We flew swiftly from our momentary cover and dashed to The Dauntless.

Suddenly, two guards, coincidentally the same two who I had run into three years earlier, barred our way.

"No civilians." The fat one informed us.

"Hey! You're that Jack Sparrow fella!" The other realized.

_Captain. _I thought harshly. _Captain Jack Sparrow._

"Ah…well…Commodore Norrington has given me permission to borrow, uh, this ship." I narrowed my eyes and pointed stiffly at The Dauntless.

"Do you have any papers?"

"I have my bill from the tavern; that's paper if you really want it."

The guards shook their heads in unison "That's not good enough."

Then the smaller one stepped forward, "You know, we have orders to arrest you on sight?"

"Really?"

They nodded again.

"Hmm…" _Lovely._

In a flash, Andy, who had been standing silent, knocked the two guards out using the butt of her pistol and pushed them into the waves. She promptly proceeded to untie the ship as Will sped up the gangplank.

"Did I miss something?" I asked as I looked from the downed guards to the ship and finally to Andy while taking a step onto the gangplank.

She simply shrugged and replied, "Yes. That was your cue to run."

"Oh, right mate." I replied, nodding as if I understood, Andy and Will responding with staring glances.

"What?"

Each of them was on board and holding a corner of the gangplank, ready to tip it into the water. The only problem was, I was in the middle of the plank, and the boat—ship—was moving farther from the dock.

I turned to see that there was barely a fraction of an inch of the plank on the dock still, and Will and my sister were the only things keeping the plank from falling away from the ship.

Taking a careful step, I looked down. The water was passing by more swiftly, which meant the ship was gaining speed I guessed we were going say two, three knots. Even still, it was time for me to board The Dauntless. Nearly at a jog, I moved toward the deck…one more step—it was too slow. What was left of the plank on the dock gave way and took me with it, the only way we had left to go: down.

As I fell, I managed to catch myself and hold tightly onto the deck, my feet flailing under me. "Not good!" My grip began to loosen, and I was slipping closer and closer to the deep blue, licking waters beneath me.

"Help! A little help would be useful." I couldn't pull myself up. Whenever I tried to drag myself up, I slipped and found myself hangin' from The Dauntless' side again.

"Come on, Jack." It was Andy who spoke, and as doing so, she reached out and grasped my hand, then began to gradually pull me up.

Will took my other hand and they heaved me up so that the deck and my waist were level. Then I swung my legs up onto deck and found myself sitting.

I looked from one companion to another. They'd both backed up to give me room to move. "What took you so long?" I questioned, throwing my arms in the air…and for no apparent reason.

They only smiled, not talking and not making any noticeable movements. That was it then; we were finally on our way. We were going to reclaim my Pearl. After all, what is a captain without his ship? Ha! That is like asking what a bird is without wings, what a fish is without scales, or what a ship is without its sails. And the answer is simple: a foundation. And a foundation alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Andy**

I was to be 'first mate' on board The Dauntless, and Will the crew…according to Jack. Well, I was fine for the job given me, but Will had some trouble being lookout and swabbing the decks at the same time, so I gave him some help, occasionally. When he was on deck, I was in the 'nest, keeping watch over the waters. The Pearl was definitely out there, but barely a speck in the distance by telescope. We kept close watch and followed 'er day and night. We couldn't lose The Pearl. She was our freedom.

"Where d'ya think he's takin' her?" Jack asked me on the day our second week at sea began.

With some thought, I suddenly realized where it was heading. "Where would anyone with The Pearl take her, Jack?"

His head snapped around to face me. "No!"

"Yes. That's the direction he's headed."

"He can't know where the island is, can 'e? Everyone's searched, but we're the only ones who ever found Isla DeMuerta, Andy."

"How sure of that are you?"

With a questioning look, and a moment's pause looking up toward the sky, Jack answered, making indescribable and undecipherable hand gestures. "Almost certain." Then he changed his mind abruptly. "Well…Pretty sure"

I frowned. That wasn't what I'd expected to hear at all.

At my reaction to his words, Jack spoke again. "You see, the fact is…I'm pretty…_not_ certain. We, uh, didn't really take any precautions to prevent others from entering the cave." The last words were stuttered and spoken quickly, since he knew the words were not ones I wished to hear.

_Perfect. This is going well._ I thought. _Now we get to go to Isla DeMuerta and fight some man who's been made immortal since he stole Aztec gold coins from the stone crate and is cursed in the moonlight until he breaks the curse like all the other stupid bastards who wasted years of their lives doing the exact same…Just perfect._ "Why did you do nothing?" I insistently inquired of him.

"Uh…" He tried to think of an excuse, but had no time to compose a good one. "Forgot?"

"'Forgot' is not good enough an excuse for this! How could you have forgotten, Jack?"

He flinched and a frown lingered at the corners of his lips. "Well, I'd just lost my crew…in fact, they'd left me on The Pearl, leaving me with nothing but a name, a blacksmith, and a governor's daughter. Hell, I was remotely put out at the time, Andy!" His temper rose visibly and I was in neither a position or mood for a fight.

"All right. I'm sorry, I just…don't want to lose 'er, Jack."

He heaved a deep sigh and stepped toward me. "I know." He sympathized. "Neither do I."


	6. Chapter 6

**Andy**

"Yo ho,

Yo ho,

A Pirate's life for me!

We pillage and plunder and we rifle and loot,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

Yo ho,

Yo ho,

A pirate's life for me!

We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

Maraud and embezzle and even hijack,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

Yo ho,

Yo ho,

A pirate's life for me!

We kindle and char, inflame and ignite,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

We burn up the city,

We're really a fright,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do well cads…

And really bad eggs…

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!

Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,

Drink up, me hearties yo ho!"

Jack's amazing musical talent woke us the next morning as dawn crept over The Dauntless and the new day's breeze lifted her sails.

Will moaned from within the other room when awoken by the sound and clambered out of bed and on deck to meet Jack and me, both of whom had been up an hour or so earlier.

The sun rose radiantly that day, and as the remarkably bright rays lit up the waters, our path was laid before us for the day.

Our journey that day was made easier, thanks to a strong breeze that pushed our sails and sped us across the sea.

The sunset was red, and a deep enough shade to be the color of blood. The day had been unexpectedly fortunate for us, for it brought us nearer to our target. The Pearl became more then a speck seen only by telescope. It became a slowing mark on the horizon.

"Why is it getting slower?" Will asked me as we both stood on the starboard deck and watched the sun set, our eyes also turning to watch The Black Pearl as she sluggishly came into view.

"Perhaps she's stopping…or, um…" I let my voice trail off.

Will was curious. "What?"

"Well…" I turned to Jack on that one.

My brother had been standing a step behind Will, without the blacksmith even knowing. "Or, um…well…Maybe she's sinking because there's a hole in 'er from a cannonball and she's slowly sinking and losing speed, which is why we needed you to come in the first place and Andy was told not to tell you because we figured that you might not come all this way and leave Elizabeth alone, but if you didn't know why you were needed and it sounded urgent you might be interested enough to leave your bonny lass for a short time." Jack purposely rushed the words, so they seemed to come out faster then Will could comprehend, and in a long, run-on sentence. He put on a cocky smile then, hoping to at least attempt to soften the blow… if only slightly.

For a while, there was naught but silence on The Dauntless. Will broke it. "You wanted me to come so I could patch up a hole that is sinking your ship?"

Jack and I exchanged glances. "Yeah, basically." My brother replied.

"Is that all?"

"Yes." I answered his question when Jack hesitated.

"Then that's why we're short of time?" Will recalled my words 'it would cost time, and that we are short of' spoken the day we'd met.

I frowned. "Why else?"

Nodding, Will sighed. "I can't help you."

"We would've told you before, but then I thought you wouldn't come so…we left the fact unmentioned." Jack accurately explained.

"It's not that." Will assured before adding "I'm not a blacksmith anymore."

"Come again?"

"I gave up the trade."

Jack looked crestfallen. "Not good."

I stepped forward. The Pearl to me was as precious as it was to Jack. It was our freedom. "Surely you can still fix it! You may have stopped the trade, but you can't have forgotten the skill."

"I have not, but I have no tools, no supplies."

"Then what was it you had to pack before we left for Tortugas?"

Will tilted his head as if the answer should be obvious. "Clothes."

"Clothes? You packed clothes? What good're they? Clothes don't repair a ship, they don't keep watch for enemy ships, and they don't feed you!" Jack outraged. "D'ya know I've been wearing these," He plucked at his jacket and shirt, "for more then a month! I don't need anything else except a ship, a lookout, and food to fill my mouth." We both stared at him a moment while the only sound heard was the water splashing against The Dauntless' sides. "I did not just say that…that one part about these clothes."

"Anyway," Will continued. "If I can find equipment and we can board The Pearl, I can try to seal the fissure for you.

Jack came up behind me. "It doesn't matter now. In his hands, The Pearl is lost anyway."

I spun about abruptly. "What!"

His eyes were lit with a flame that did not give up. "We'll have to find a new ship."

"Huh?"

Will came over. "What?"

My brother turned and walked over to the wheel, then stopped, some twenty feet away. "Andy, come here."

I frowned.

"Come here."

I paused. What was going on?

Jack jerked his head, trying to make a gesture for me to join him. "Come on!" His last words were more desperate and order-like.

With a sigh, I bade his will and walked over.

Jack leaned in to whisper in my ear, making sure Will could not hear. "If he, meaning Will," He jerked a thumb at Will, "thinks that we, meaning you and me, don't care about The Pearl…then he won't expect us, also meaning you and me, to hijack The Pearl when we find it. Therefore, he won't be able to stop us when we do."

He was beginning to actually make sense…for once. "Are you sure about this?"

"Sure, I'm sure. Of course! We can find someone else to repair The Pearl after we get it back to Tortugas, and then we can drop Will off to be home with his bonny lass." He paused for a minute as if he expected applause. "And voila, The Black Pearl is ours again, and is fixed, and Will's happy to be home."

I cocked my head, thinking for a short time.

"So are ya with me, or against me?"

"So far, I'm thinking that this could actually work. I'm with you."

"You know, I'm glad, because if you were against me, then…you'd be against me."

I smiled; _that_ was the Jack I knew. "Uh-huh. Who did you say has The Pearl now?" The question had just occurred to me.

"Cortez."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, it's him."

"Oh, no…" I muttered, but Jack heard me.

He immediately asked. "What is it?"

"Cortez knows how to captain a ship, and he's not stupid," I finished the sentence off in my mind, _like we'd all hoped._ "In fact," I continued. "He's not stupid at all. He _will_ find what he's looking for. And won't stop at that. He'll be worse than Barbossa."

"Oh." Came the retort. "Is that all?"

What was he thinking? Did he have another plan stashed away in his mind that he wasn't sharing? "What do you mean 'is that all', Jack?"

He didn't give an immediate answer.

"Isn't that enough?" I persisted, waiting for an answer… any answer.

"Well…" He looked shrewdly at me, into my eyes. "We _did_ beat Barbossa." A smile grew on his lips as his words finished.

He was right. He and Will had killed Barbossa, after breaking the curse. And the thought brought the light glimmer of hope to my mind.

"Yes." I agreed with a sigh. "You _did_ beat Barbossa."


	7. Chapter 7

**Andy**

I woke up in the night and found Jack sitting on the bed beside me, facing the opposite wall and his bed. I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Then I realized why; he was asleep. "Jack!" I woke him with a whisper.

"But why is the rum gone?" He demanded before realizing his wake. He looked about hysterically a moment, and then caught my eye. "Oh." His tone was uninterested and dismissing. Then he asked "What are you doing here?" believing himself to be in bed with me oddly joining him.

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you."

He almost smiled. "Hmm." At that moment, it seemed to hit him. Jack turned from me and faced his bed again. "What _am_ I doing here?" He wondered aloud.

I sighed. That was Jack for you! "I don't know."

"Oh. Well in that case…" He climbed down to the ground and got in his own bed. Then, pulling the covers up slightly, he covered his eyes with the brim of his hat as I began to become drowsy again. And as my eyes closed, Jack spoke up, breaking the silence. "Andy?"

"Hmm?"

"I remember what I was doin' up there."

"Continue."

I was next informed. "I need a gun."

That came to me somewhat as a surprise. "Excuse me?"

"I…I need a gun, Andy."

_Great._ "Whatever happened to that old pistol after you used your shot? Didn't you keep it? I can find some bullets for you to fill it with." I offered, turning in bed to look in the general direction of Jack.

There was a silence.

"You _did_ keep it, didn't you?"

More silence, but only for a moment's time. "Well, uh, no."

_Lovely._ What was I supposed to do? I had only one pistol myself; and I needed it. "Jack, why didn't you mention this in Tortugas?"

"Umm…I was a little drunk at the time. Besides, why should I have bothered when you can get me one now?"

"How do you expect me to do that, swim back to Tortugas, get you a pistol, and then meet you at Isla De Muerta?"

"That'd be nice."

_That'd be nice?_ "That'd take weeks! If I didn't get blown from the water by pirates, die of hunger, or of thirst or exhaustion!"

Jack considered. "Right, mate; that'd be bad."

"That'd—"I stopped.

My brother lifted his hat's edge to peer at me from under it. "What?"

I had an epiphany. "I have a thought."

"What d'ya think?" He became interested, sitting up to listen.

"I think it'd take five days for The Pearl to sink if I put a bullet hole in her hull."

Jack's response was an expected, protective one. "I think you'd better not be puttin' any hole in my ship!"

I continued. "I think that I could take the rowboat, and I think I could get to The Pearl before Cortez reaches the island. I might hold him at the tip of my blade and tell him to either surrender The Pearl—which he isn't likely to do—or have a hole in it made by my loaded pistol. I think he'll be smart enough to figure that a hole made by my bullet would bring down The Pearl in three to five days and that he could make it back to Tortugas and have it repaired before it sinks."

My brother caught my drift and added "I think that means Will won't have to repair my Pearl and that while Cortez is in Tortugas, we can set a trap or something for him here."

But that wouldn't do. "But I think we'd also have to return to Tortugas so we can get you a pistol."

It took a short while for Jack to register what I'd said, but he got it. "I think that'll work too…but what if Cortez gets the gold before going to Tortugas?"

"He won't. He's smart enough to know that if he did, The Pearl would just sink more while he was loading, and the weight of the gold would make The Pearl either go down faster or make her go slower, so he wouldn't reach Tortugas in time."

"Right." There was a second when all was quiet, but Jack broke it. "But why don't we just kill Cortez and take The Pearl instead?"

"If the British officers ever catch us, there'll just be one more reason to shoot or hang us…Then The Black Pearl will probably be destroyed or made an officer's ship, and all the things we've done for it will have been for nothing."

Jack kept his mouth shut and didn't respond immediately. He seemed to be searching for an alternate reasoning, since mine wasn't so very appealing to him—especially that part about The Pearl. "Oh, right—gotcha...Cortez lives."


	8. Chapter 8

**Andy**

"Will, about Elizabeth…" I began, as the day started anew.

His head jerked around from the wandering waves to face me, to catch my eyes in his wondering gaze. "What of her?"

"Her name was mentioned yesterday, yet you seemed not to care or even to notice; and still you act as if…nothing. Is everything all right?"

Will turned to the ground, suddenly deciding to avoid my concerned and inquisitive eyes. He didn't speak for a while, it seemed…uncomfortable for him to say anything in response.

"Will?" I moved vigilantly nearer, but he backed away. I made a decision not to waste his and my time pursuing the question, so I turned to leave him.

After ten paces, I'd reached the crow's nest. Nearly a third of the way up it, Will spoke at last. "Wait!"

Keeping a grip with my left hand on the mast, I looked down at the man and watched as he began to scale the mast to meet me. When he and I were level, standing eye to eye, I received the answer I'd sought. "Andy…" He started, only to trail off. "Elizabeth… Elizabeth is…" It seemed difficult for him to say. I took that as a sign that Will had something important to say. What I didn't know was the volume of importance the last word of that sentence which couldn't be completed had in Will's eyes…and in his heart. "Well…" Then he gave up trying to speak again. And there was another moment's quiet.

"Take your time." I encouraged. I don't know what I expected, but silence certainly wasn't it. Why was it so problematic for him to answer? The question had been simple enough. Could it be the answer he was having trouble with, for a particular reason?

"She—she's dead, Andy. She has been for a year and a half now."

"What?" _I must have heard wrong_, I told myself.

"She died seventeen months ago…giving birth to our child. They both were killed."

No wonder he hadn't mentioned her since joining us. "Will, I'm so sorry." I really was. I can't explain it; I'd only just met him, yet I could feel sorry for him so easily.

"Don't be; you didn't do it."

To change the sorrowing subject, I explained what Jack and I had come up with the night before. He agreed that it was a plan that should work with little difficulty, but he, like Jack before him, questioned why we allowed Cortez to live. I told him the same thing I said to my brother. And he accepted that.

**Jack**

"Andy! Andy! Where the blazes are you!" I stormed across the deck, looking everywhere for my sister. But found her nowhere. She had the unusual skill of disappearing off the face—or faces, no one really knows—of the Earth at the most inconvenient, inopportune time possible. I was in panic; flailing my arms around and searching for her intensely, for The Pearl was in sight.

Will raced over from the main mast of The Dauntless and stopped before me. "Andy's up there Jack…" He pointed an unwavering finger up above our heads and at the crows nest.

"Well get her down here!"

"Sure…" Will turned and yelled, "Jack wants you down here Andy! Come on down!"

She replied. "On my way!"

From directly above me, Andy threw a rope down and proceeded to slide down it, landing gracefully…on top of me. I crumpled to the wet deck and spat seawater from my mouth. The other two laughed while Andy stood. I, on the other hand, only rolled my eyes and stood up, almost falling over in the process, failing to see the hilarity of it all.

"When I meant 'come down' Andy, I meant down the _usual_ way…_not_ on top of me!"

Andy stared as I picked a stray barnacle from my hair and tossed it aside with a look of genuine disgust on my face.

"So what do you need me for?" Andy inquired.

"Andy, The Black bloody Pearl is in close! We've got to get ready!"

She cocked her head slightly to one side and grinned a trivial grin. "You mean_ I_ need to get ready. You are staying here."

"Oh right mate," I responded. "Sorry."

We all stood on the deck, directing The Dauntless towards the looming mass of mist that appeared on the horizon. Isla De Muerta. A shudder ran down my spine; I had hoped never to come back to the cursed island, but there I was, heading directly toward it, as my Pearl became larger in my view.

Will pulled out the telescope and peered through it, staring at The Pearl's deck, to be sure that Cortez had not disembarked, which would cause a serious problem for us.

"D'ya see the bastard?" I asked.

Will responded not quite immediately, but in time good enough for me to stand waiting. "Yes; he's tying down the sails and preparing to drop the anchor. It seems he won't be leaving for some time yet."

"Good."

About an hour later we had anchored The Dauntless near the island and out of sight of Cortez, although we could still see him. Andy had been waiting for the minute to come when Will and I would lower the lifeboat so she could row over to The Pearl. I didn't even want to think about the fact that she would be shooting a hole in my ship; at that thought, I whimpered.

"Jack! What is it we're waiting for?" Andy called.

Without providing a direct answer, I just snapped "Wait for it!"

We sat quietly, hiding behind the railing although there was no one to hide from. But we did it anyway. I watched through the telescope as Cortez moved to the bow of The Pearl and busied himself with something.

"Go Andy! In the boat!" I commanded.

Will and I shoved her and the boat off The Dauntless' edge, letting it dangle by two ropes alone. Will began to lower his side in time with me to keep the boat level, and so that the little dinghy was plopped into the water with barely a splash. Andy took up the oars in her hands and looked back at us while Will pulled up the ropes which no longer served purpose. My sister gave me a nod, signaling that our plan was a go.

Will and I watched as she rowed away, winding around the outcroppings of rocks that jutted off the island like huge teeth. We waited until she was barely visible in the mist before racing to the bow and wrestling each other for the telescope. Somehow, Will won it.

He gazed through the glass for some time, not telling me a single thing that went on. I was pacing behind him, nervous and edgy when I asked, "Will! What in the name of…something…is going on out there!"

"Nothing yet, she reaching The Pearl just now…" That was all the response I was granted.

Again silence fell, making me feel even tenser than before until, at last, Will spoke again.

"She's tied her boat to The Pearl and is beginning to scale the side of the ship to get on board."

With that, I hurled myself on top of Will and tackled him onto the deck. The next few seconds were filled with struggle for the brass instrument which had formerly been in his hands. He cried aloud in surprise and pain as I grappled with him once again for control of the telescope; I wrenched it free of my shipmate's grasp and laughed quietly in triumph. But it was short lived.

"Jack, Give that back!" Will grabbed hold of the shiny brass contraption and twisted it in my hands, making them hot. I barred my teeth and growled like a protective dog. He stared at me and finally let go. As I stood, he tripped me and snatched the telescope from my hands as I fell.

"Not fair…" I whined.

Will smirked at me when I rolled over and flung myself to my feet, looking sad and downtrodden. I sighed and began to, again, pace.

"Jack! She's got Cortez at sword-point now. He's talking to her. I can't tell…she's responding, I think…"

A single gunshot interrupted his briefing, burst suddenly, echoing through the silent moors of mist that hung thick in the air. I snapped my head around and listened for something else to happen…but nothing else did…until…

Will called me. "Jack, Cortez has a pistol; he's loading it!"

"What about Andy?"

"She's already turned her back. She's climbing back to the dinghy now."

No—she had to be warned. I couldn't let her get hurt…or worse. I opened my mouth to cry out to her, but Will put a hand over it to stop the words.

Will insisted. "We cannot betray out location. Let Andy handle it. She can take care of herself."

I had to be silent; he was right, though I feared still for the life of my only sister. I felt it was my job to protect her, though she'd always done that herself without any assistance from me.

Will had let the hand grasping my telescope drop to his side as he waited for something to happen. He squinted across he waters and through the fog and seemed to forget the slim spy-glass.

That is when I took it for myself. I snatched it from him when I still could and held it to one eye. Into view came my sister. She was carefully rowing back, seemingly unharmed, though it was difficult for one to tell through such a heavy blanket of mist.

Abruptly, and without warning, another shot rang out; one not fired by my sister's pistol…Cortez had fired it, and had hit the small rowboat that contained Andy, blasting a perfect circle in the bottom of it. Water began to fill it and Cortez shot again, aiming for Andrea.

She however, had dove into the dark water. That was the last I saw of her for a while, but I knew she was a fair swimmer, even in the bitterest temperatures of the seas.

The former member of my crew (Cortez) continuously—and quite aimlessly—shot at the water, obviously in hope of hitting Andy.

But my sister surfaced no more than five yards from The Dauntless' rear end. She gasped in fresh air when she came up, and continued on the rest of the way swimming above water, breathing heavily.

"She did it Jack!"

"Ha ha!" I cried. "I knew she would!"

Will and I threw ourselves at each other and embraced. But then I realized what I was doing. We let go of each other hastily, looks of plain revulsion on our faces. I shuddered as Will shook his head and looked at the ground, suddenly seeming to find the floorboards very interesting.

"Sorry, mate." I said.

Will kept his eyes lowered in embarrassment and muttered, "Don't worry about it."

At the same time, the pair of looked up at the other and ordered. "Don't tell Andy about this!" Then we burst out laughing at the craziness of the entire affair and turned to begin walking out to meet Andy.

A shout questioned "Don't tell me what?" apparently having heard.

Will and I stopped in our tracks, looked at each other, and began to laugh again.

"Nothing." I insisted, reaching the back rail and glancing down to see my sister making her way up to us on the main deck. Then I found the telescope still in my hand and decided to put it to some use. With it, I watched The Pearl behind Andy for a while, but saw no movement on the deck.


	9. Chapter 9

**Andy**

I climbed towards the deck to meet my brother and Will. They both waited for me in expectance, having heard the shots which had so startlingly pierced the night earlier. Jack held to his eye a telescope, watching my movements, to be sure nothing went wrong.

I saw this scene and called up to him. "Jack! There's no longer a reason for you to watch me when I'm right beneath your nose!"

"Oh, right." He pocketed the spyglass and acted as though nothing had happened in one second, and the brought the telescope's lens back to his eye in the next. "But there might be reason remaining for me to keep an eye on The Pearl.—I don' want her to sink before reaching Tortugas."

Will extended a hand for me to grasp as I reached nearly the top of The Dauntless' side and helped me on board carefully, making sure not to lose his grip on my hand and let me fall; since I had almost my entire weight on his arm, and wouldn't have time to catch myself if either of us faltered.

When my feet finally touched the floorboards of our 'borrowed' ship, I stumbled clumsily, but then straightened and stretched, a bit sore from the climb…and something else that I wasn't prepared to yet reveal. Then I nodded shortly at Will for his assistance before taking my place at Jack's side.

Taking the telescope into my own hands, with some disapproval from Jack, I might add, I held it to my own eye and directed it toward the heavens and gazed in search of a sign of the time. When I found what I was looking for, I could tell that the sun would soon rise, and that we'd have to move quickly if we wanted to meet our laid out goal. Before laying the scope again in the hands of my brother, I glanced at The Pearl, drifting just out of reach, tall and still proud, though a few more inches beneath the surface than was supposed to be. Her sails flew dark as the night in a calm breeze, yet something had changed about her other than height. At long last I realized just what it was.

"Jack?" I questioned, to be answered with the unavoidable.

"Yes?"

"I'm taking over as captain of this ship." I found myself saying. Before I could continue, I was interrupted by both my shipmates.

They demanded together, "What?"

Jack spun to look me in the eye and took my shoulders in his hands. "If you…are joking about this…let it be said that—this really isn't the best time to be fooling around!" His teeth were clenched tightly when he spoke.

"No, Jack, listen to me. The Pearl is coming directly for us. I'm only taking over momentarily—until we get enough distance between it and us. Understand?"

There was a speechless pause for and awkward moment until Jack broke the silence with "Yes. I understand completely." He coolly agreed. There was another silence. "But why are you taking command? Why can't _I_ take command?"

"You captain The Black Pearl, not The Dauntless. Let me take care of my own ship."

Will had a questioning expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I designed The Dauntless." I gave my answer, turning to face the questioner. "I can captain The Dauntless better than any man alive, because it is most to my understanding. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to get moving 'cause The Pearl's getting faster—and it's almost to us." My last words were hurried as I pointed at the advancing ship, not a hundred yards away and gaining.

**Jack**

I allowed Andy to take over for a while, since, honestly, I really didn't understand just how the maneuverings of The Dauntless worked exactly. It'd been guesswork I'd used since the start, so it was about time someone controlled the ship who actually could understand how it worked.

Unlike The Pearl, The Dauntless was slimmer, more stream-lined, and lighter than most other ships I'd commandeered. It moved differently, almost more efficiently, but it was therefore so that I had difficulty understanding it.

My sister though, knew everything about the ship—from how much weight it could carry without slowing to the measurements of every cabin, every deck. It was amazing…but, then, I suppose those are the things you should know if you've designed a ship... Which I never have, I might add.

But even still, with The Pearl, I feel freedom. It doesn't matter what the weight or length of my ship was or is. Because as The Black Pearl is mine, I know how to manage and captain it; I know how to maneuver and steer it, and I know how it will respond to each command. That is why I am The Pearl's captain. That is why I'm Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Jack! Can you help Will drop the starboard anchor?" Andy called to me with an inquiry.

"Right…" I started to speak, but let my stream of thought trail off after the first word of my intended sentence. That was because The Pearl had gained on us by at least seven yards in the confusion, and I had no idea why we'd be dropping anchor with a case as such at hand. "Uh—Andrea, you _do_ know that dropping anchor stops the boat—sorry, ship—don't you?" I had to ask. Andy had to be crazy if she wanted to stop. The Pearl could ram right through us: The Dauntless did not have as much speed or protection as my Pearl, so we would be crushed if there was a collision. And that's not exactly a good thing.

Andy turned from the wheel for a second or two to face me, and made eye contact. "No Jack, that's if you drop both anchors. If only one is dropped, then we'll pivot around it until we stop, meaning there's a good chance we'll both take Cortez by surprise and we'll end up with our starboard cannons facing The Pearl."

"I am not gonna let you blow more holes in my ship, if that's what you're implicating to do." I insisted, bent on preventing anything else from happening to my Pearl.

My confusing, complicated sister simply smiled to herself and muttered. "Who said we'd 'blow holes' in that ship?"

I raised a finger and opened my mouth to reply, but found myself lost… "You've lost me."

Again, Andy turned to look at me. "If we turn the cannons about on the port side to face starboard and line them up with the others facing The Pearl, we could tilt the cannons so that their barrels face slightly higher then they already are positioned. Then, we load and fire. The cannons which were moved blast through the wall and therefore fall short. The others fire too high and their cannonballs pass over The Pearl. This will cause a distraction. Cortez will most likely go below deck and prepare some of The Pearl's cannons to fire at us…But remember, when you had defeated Barbossa, you had all the cannons plugged up with rags so they would not fire accurately unless by someone who knew that they were plugged and removed the rags before loading a cannonball. Cortez does not know this. Therefore, his shots shall fall short of us. By the time he realizes what is wrong, we will have drawn in our anchor and be turning back for Tortugas."

Having not understood much more than 'the cannons…fall short' and 'pass over The Pearl' the plan still sounded good to me, as long as The Pearl wasn't hit…and neither were we.

**Andy**

I observed as Will and my brother lowered the starboard anchor into the sparkling cold depths of the sea. With a resounding splash, the heavy anchor plunged down into the deep as I kept up The Dauntless' speed. _This will work._ I told myself, though I honestly wasn't all that sure. But we had to try. No matter what, we had to try.


	10. Chapter 10

**Jack**

I noticed my sister was limping a bit as she paced, waiting for the anchor to catch at the ocean's bottom. I began moving toward her to be sure nothing was wrong. But a, sudden lunge signaled that we'd caught onto something and we began to turn as Andy had planned, pivoting about the anchor which fastened us to the sea-bottom.

At the movement, I tried to grab the railing to keep my balance, but my hand missed it by a mere centimeter and I slipped to the ground. As The Dauntless spun around, I tried desperately to take hold of something so I wouldn't slide off the ship and plunge into the waters.

Ah—did I mention the sun had begun to rise? Well, it had. And its rays of startlingly bright light were blinding.

Back to my dilemma, I was almost to the edge of The Dauntless' port side and would have gotten to my feet if it hadn't been for the fact that we still were spinning around to face Cortez and my Pearl. While I attempted to stand, Andy showed up at my side and offered a hand to steady me. Before releasing me, my sister made sure I had a tight grip on one railing. Then she cantered carefully over to Will's side to watch our starboard side to be sure nothing went wrong with the anchor.

I watched, holding onto The Dauntless and waiting for the spinning to cease. Andy then did something none of us had planned on; she released the anchor, letting its chain descend into the water after its weight, loop by loop until it was gone.

"What was that for! Now how are we supposed to bloody stop?" I yelled at her for her stupidity. But then again…maybe she had a reason for the action. I hoped it was a damned good one!

She didn't answer, just made it to the lower deck to climb down below. Why? Oh right, we were supposed to be moving the cannons.

With a gesture, I motioned for Will to follow me below deck to help Andy. We found her hard at work, shoving one cannon towards the starboard side, after having turned it to be prepared for firing.

Taking the cannon's other side, I assisted her in shoving it across the floor, but still demanded "If you have a blasted reason for dumping that anchor, it better be one you can explain…so Will can understand…" Will glared at me for using him instead of myself, and I shrugged at the facial gesture. "…and it better be a good one too, Sis."

**Andy**

Responding with no words, but only a curt nod, I shifted my weight to put it all on my right shoulder which I leaned into the cannon, lining it up with the others already against the starboard wall. Then, and only then, I answerer the question, "I got a reason," facing Jack.

"Well what is it?"

The Dauntless' movement had slowed to a sluggish pace and we'd nearly stopped completely. It was barely possible to feel the ships movement beneath us at the time, and I knew that soon we'd have to be ready to fire. So I moved on to the next cannon that needed to be moved, and turned it, then began to push it in line with the others in the starboard line.

"Cortez is sure to notice the missing anchor when he gets close enough. He will think that the lost anchor was not something we planned, and will therefore risk more. He will try to ram through us." I stopped a while to breathe

Jack blinked at me, keeping his eyes however directed at me. "Sounds like a terrible plan so far. Just what makes you think this is a good idea?"

"Attempting to ram us would bring him closer." Will spoke up, slowly catching on.

"Close enough for you to jump ship and get The Pearl back." I finished up, laying the general plan on the line.

My brother straightened and raised a finger to show that he'd understood. "I like that idea. But don't you mean 'us' as in the three of us instead of 'you' meaning me…or me and Will?"

"No." I replied, bringing confusion to my brother's mind. "I stay with my ship."

"Problem:" Jack stepped in.

Will broke into Jack's thought. "What if we can't avoid ramming The Dauntless, even if we do get control of The Pearl?"

"Exactly." Jack agreed with what he himself had been about to say, though not in so many words.

"Try to avoid it."

"And if we can't?"

"Try." And that was the end of the conversation on that topic.


End file.
